Buying chips and credits at online gambling web sites seems to become more difficult with each passing month. Legislative changes combine with policy changes at processing companies to create an environment that is constantly changing and sometimes difficult to keep track of.

The early days of online gambling offered few options for funding your casino or sportsbook account. Prior to the internet poker boom, most sites dealt primarily with credit card billing. A few casinos, mostly using the Microgaming software platform also used a platform by Surefire Commerce, which later became FirePay.

With few options, direct billing of credit cards remained the main option for years, despite the numerous headaches involved. The transactions were considered high risk by banks, so they carried stiff fees, and consumers would often dispute the charges if they did not win. A new alternative was desperately needed, and the PayPal electronic wallet soon stepped up to fill the void.

By the end of 2002, PayPal had been absorbed by online auction giant, eBay.com, and had ceased all internet gambling business. At this time a company called Neteller entered the market to provide an electronic wallet that catered to the online gambling industry. Although many others also entered this market over the next few years, Neteller remained the dominant force in the world of processing payments to and from online casinos, sportsbooks and poker rooms.

In March 2007, Neteller bowed out of the market due to increasing legal pressure from the United States. That is to say that the company stopped processing transactions for the US and Canadian customers that make up the majority of internet gambling customers. Since most people utilized the services provided by Neteller, the move left many wondering exactly what options are still available to them. There are, of course, several methods that are still viable options for funding an internet gambling account.

Credit Cards – It seems that the industry has come full circle, as online gambling sites are once again recommending the use of Visa and Mastercard as the primary method for funding your online gambling account.

ePassporte – ePassporte is an electronic wallet that allows you to send and receive money anonymously to anywhere in the world. The system is based on a prepaid virtual Visa card that is reloadable. You can sign up for an account at epassporte.com

Click2Pay – While ePassporte handles a number of e-commerce industries, Click2Pay is an electronic wallet that was designed specifically for the online gambling industry. This gives Click2Pay an insight into the industry that puts them ahead of the curve when compared to other payment options. Sign up for an account today at click2pay.com

Check By Mail – Old fashioned checks and money orders are always welcomed. The only downside is that you wont have credits in your gambling account immediately, since it takes time for the check to be mailed to the online gambling establishment.

There are other options available for funding gambling accounts. New methods are being added all the time. For an updated list of available options, you can contact the online casino, sportsbook or poker room of your choice. They will be more than happy to tell you the best available option for buying credits to gamble with.